My Mother's Secrets
by idonothingeveryday
Summary: Katniss and Peeta's children are growing up and finding out about their parents part in the War. They have grown up not knowing the impact their parents had on their world but now they are discovering all the hidden secrets that Katniss and Peeta tried to bury in the past. With old friends and old stories can Katniss cope with the truth being unveiled to her innocent children?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games books, anything that you recognise belongs to Suzanne Collins.

Thank you for reading, please review Jenny x

My dark brown hair looked almost dull in the dim light of the day completely opposite to my brother Finnick next to me whose golden curls shine like a halo on his perfect head. As we walk to school in silence i like to go over all the small blemishes and parts of his face i love. According to Mother and Father we were named after old friends who are no longer alive but still have a special place in there hearts. They say they'll tell us when we're older, although we're already pretty old already. The grand old age of 12! The walk to school includes going past the rusty gates of the old coal mines and were mummy says a place called the hob used to be but i make Finnick take the lead because i dont like the smell. One time when i asked him to go in front he said "Oh come on Rue, imagine its the smell of sugar or something very sweet just like you!" but i just rolled my sapphire blue eyes at him and ran in front trying not to trip over rubble but trying to get to school quicker than him, because he doesnt like bieng alone. Now he always goes in front only because he knows i'll tell mum when i get home. When we've finally made it to school we go our seperate ways i go over to Joh. She is a girl, but didnt like her name so she shortened it to Joh i said id keep it a secret not even my mum knows her real name. She has short cropped blonde hair with tanned skin and warm brown eyes admittadly her appearance is a bit boyish but then again Finnick looks like a girl with his long blonde curls! Speaking of him he hangs out with a shy boy called Ben they're very alike although Ben wears glasses and has grey-blue eyes that match the fog that hangs over the water in winter. Ben is nice but we dont talk. I guess me and Finnick are only different in school because everywhere else its like we're stuck together, i guess i like staying with him because he's nice and doesnt tease me like other boys do. Me and Joh meet in the playground next to the red swing that squeaks to much. Dad says i should make more friends but i like not having to worry about who to play with. "Hi!" i say to Joh as i approach her sitting on the swing "hey, why are you so late?" she asks not in a pressing tone but quizzically enough so i know that she was worried "Sorry, Uncle Haymitch came round i dont see him that often" i reply

"I swear he's not you real Uncle" she asks giggling

"No, he's not but mummy, daddy and him are really close so we call him that" i reply gently, we walk accross the playground towards our bench but half way there the signal for the start of class goes so we say our good byes and go into our seperate classes. I have to sit next to Charlie, i dont like him because he tried to kiss me last year, which makes it really awkward now we have to sit next to each other. Professor Hanks has his usual clipped back hair, black and red striped tie, a white shirt covering up his chest and smart black trousers reaching down to his shiny black shoes. "Tomorrow is a special day, we will have a visit from soldiers of each district yes including 1" he says because he knows we are all fascinated by one as it is the farthest away and we dont get to see its contents much accept for on TV, but thats still rare. Accpet for that piece of intriguing news nothing much is interesting about that day other than lunch time with Joh, but only because its with Joh. At the end of the day me and Finnick meet at the red gates before going home because we also walk home together, on the way home me and Finnick talk about who we think tomorrow will bring to District 12, run down, rubbly, grey and barely surviving District 12. Although my families lucky because apparently we won lots of money and prizes because they won a game it must of been a special game, i dont think i'd of won. You'd probably have to be brave.

When we get home Mummy takes our coats and bags and asks about our day. I let Finnick do the talking because whatever i say seems to sound so stupid to me. When Mums in the garden the phone rings and i pick it up "Hello?" i ask down the yellowing device in my hands "Hello, is Mrs Katniss Mellark available?" a raspy voice asks. "Um. Yes i'll just go get her" i reply in my nervous tone.

"Mummy, theres a man on the phone, i think its Uncle Haymitch" i shout into the garden decorated neatley with pink primroses that smelled wonderful in the summer and could heal any blocked noise with the sweet sent. Mum comes out from behind one of the bushes cheeks red and eyes a glossy grey. "Are you alright?" i ask gently

"Yes, of course dear, know who was on the phone?" she asks politley trying to deflect my question. I know something was up but i dont press her because i dont like people crying. I hand her the phone and she starts jabbering on about how someone should visit us after something had finished, but i think they couldnt because they had to return home. I suspect its Uncle Haymitch he's always busy doing mysterious things that our parents refuse to tell us. As Daddy comes in from work i run upstairs to mine and Finnicks bedroom hoping to catch him playing with my dolls set to tell Joh and humiliate him! But i find him lying on my bed reading a book. I try and sneak up to suprise him but he see's me coming. "haha, nice try big sis" he jeers. He uses the fact that he's braver against me. But i dont laugh because hes only 10 and so not funny!

Next thing im in school and a smart man entered my class room from District 1 and a rugged man from 2 and lady with short cropped hairr from 3 from 4 there is another woman small with pink highlights in her dark hair from district 5 comes a burly strong man with long hair and a grumpy face almost like Uncle Haymitch! Now i see why District 12 is so poor because every other District is wealthier. From District 6 there is a small child with long dish-water blonde hair and sea green eyes. 7 theres a tiny man with cropped hair and glasses. Then from 8 a young woman with the same blonde hair as Finnick. 9 a stick thin woman with no shape annd dark grey eyes.10 a tough man with tanned skin and hair almost covering everywhere on his body. Then 11 a monster almost grotesque flaky skin and matted hair. Ugh. But then everything goes wrong the monster starts chucking chairs and tables then everyone else joins in. Accept me. I sit there chairs and tables flying. As one comes swooping towards me i jolt up like a bolt of lightning with sweat pooring down my face. Dripping. Daddy comes running in, a worried look on his face. "Daddy i had a nightmare" i moan.

"Its ok Daddy is here now just snuggle down and i'll stay here, dont worry Rue, its ok" he replies in his soothing voice. So i snuggle down in my thick douvet and eventually leaving dark mysterious dreams at one end and enter the beautiful sunshine and world of laughter and smiles that is a real dream. When i wake im enclosed in blankets and Finnick is leaning over me nudging me to get up. As i realise what the time is i jump up and within 20 minutes am out the door with my little brother. Although im nervous about the soldiers from the districts, i do want to meet them but i cant wait until after school when Mummy picks us up to go swimming in the woods instead of straight home. After meeting Joh i go into class were Mister Hanks is waiting with 11 people at the front of the class completely different from my nightmare. As he went through the names i dosed off only a few clicked in my brain. But i had lost them by the end. By the time i had met Mum and Finnick at the gates i was tired of names and jobs and completely not funny jokes. Just as i was about to say how boring the day was my mother ran over to a man i remeber him from District 2 he was the only normal one with dark hair and olive skin with the same grey eyes as my mother, in fact his whole appearance looked like my mother. "Gale!" she squealed as she ran accross the playground towards this man, "Catnip! How are you?" he answered back in his soft voice, calm and serene. "Oh my gosh Gale! Im fine thank you but look at you, i havent seen you since...since the...war." she said as if something was finally making sense in her brain. War? She never mentioned a war? "i know its been along time,12 years, but you were always my best friend. No one could be the same as you Katniss. Ever." he replied, this Gale is my mothers best friend! I've never heard of him before. Maybe she just got upset about him. because there has to be a reason she wouldnt hide something like that if there wasn't a reason. Would she?


	2. Chapter 2

**My mothers secrets pt2 – hunger games fan fic**

I realized when I saw my mother run up and hug the strange man from District two called Gale that the voice on the phone the day before was distinctly not Uncle Haymitchs but the man standing in front of me with the unfamiliar face that however also made me feel that I knew him at the same time. Why did my Mum not tell me anything about this new person who she has obviously known for so long? The questions that were speeding around and around my head stopped only when I saw my mother returning with a beaming smile on her face and Gale's arm linked around hers. I noticed all the parents smiling at them saying "Oh My Gosh Gale I haven't seen you in ages!" or "Hey Gale, good to see you got your old partner in crime back!" these comments made my head whorl even more. Was my mum a criminal? I knew she was in a game but I didn't think that it could've been dangerous, I thought you just needed to be confident. Was Gale in the Game? I decided in those few short seconds while my mother and Gale approached me that I didn't like him. Not if he was going to steal my mummy away from me.

"Hey mini Catnip!" Gale exclaims as he bends down to be the same height as me. Now that he is closer I see how alike they are, Gale could be my mother's cousin for all I knew or even her brother! I think mummy would've liked a brother as she didn't have any other siblings. However, I don't think Gale would've been a good brother partly because I don't like him.

"I'm not mini, I'm the tallest in my class" I reply stubbornly, Gale smiles at this, why is he smiling? He should be upset I came back at him (that's apparently what Finnick does all the time to me). "she's just like you Catnip" How, I wonder, I've come to the conclusion I'm going to ignore Gale from now on. I'm brought out of my daydream by my mother who asks "Rue, where's Finnick?" I'm looking at Gale when she asks the question and I see the flash of pain streak across his face as he looks over at my mother, she notices and gives him an encouraging smile. I knew we were named after, as my mum calls them, legends, but I never knew why. Where they in the game as well? "He's just over there mummy, coming towards us" I point out Finnick in the crowd of people and my mum waves at him to come over. As Finnick approaches he clocks Gale and smiles quizzically at him. "I can see why you named him Finnick" Gale whispers to mum, my brother doesn't hear but I just catch it. As my mother says "right, shall we go home now and see Daddy?" Gale turns around and ruffles up Finnick's golden hair in a friendly gesture, then leads on the way home.

Gale and my mother are eventually at the back of group, me and Finnick in the front talking about all the people in the Districts. I hear the pair behind us whispering, not quite catching what they are saying but I hear my mother giggle at times and them talking in an accent at others, it was something like "may the odds be ever in your favour!" but they said it really high pitched like the news reporter, Effie, I think her name is, that is always on the television and has a different colour hairstyle every day. I also hear in amongst the other murmurs that my mother knew another one of the people, I don't remember the district but it was the blonde young man. Apparently, he's "Annie's son, she named him Thom, she couldn't bare name him after it his father it was too painful" I hear Gale mention solemnly. In the rest of the time I'm mostly talking to Finnick or hearing my mother pointing out places and Gale exclaiming "Oh yeah!" that meant Gale used to live here, he used to be even closer to my mum. Is he trying to do that again?

I give my Daddy a massive hug when I get through the door. At first Dad was shocked that I hugged him when he least expected it and then he looked up and saw Gale's winning smile, "Gale, it's really you! Ah man I haven't seen you in forever. How are you doing?" my dad asked a smile appearing on his face, that was so different to Gale's. "Yeah yeah, I'm fine thanks, what about you? You don't look any different from when I last saw you apart from maybe you are now slightly more relaxed!" my dad opens the door to let us in from the drizzle that just started to spill from the grey clouds and replies in a gentle tone "we're all good here" while walking into the kitchen, I see my brother wiz past and rush up the stairs, I bet he's gone to find my dolls, I follow him slower still trying to listen into their conversation my mother notices and shuts the kitchen door behind her, I continue upstairs.

By the time I go downstairs for dinner with Finnick and my parents, Gale has magically disappeared, I want to ask so many burning questions but I refrain myself so I don't spoil the broth mummy made. I go upstairs later thinking about where Gale is and who he really is to my mother. I'm in bed, half asleep, when my Dad comes to talk to me, he always does this, my mum is usually asleep on the sofa in front of the television and my dad comes up to see if me and my brother are asleep or if we are ok. Dad comes to the side of my bed and bends down so he is right in front of me "Are you ok? Because I felt that hug earlier and someone only squeezes that tight because they are upset about something," he nudges me "spill the beans sweetie" I can't help a little smile before I reply nervously "the man, Gale, who is he? You never told us about him and everyone says that him and mummy were best friends, I thought you were her best friend." He smiles gently at this and looks down before he answers "People can have more than one best friend, just look at your brother he has you and Ben. I know you are nervous that Gale's new and we've never mentioned him before, but years and years ago, when me and Mummy were younger, Gale lived in District 12 and in a terrible accident saved everyone in the District and then we we all had to live in District 13 for a while. Even Haymitch had to go, however, he was very grumpy about it!" this makes me smile more, I kiss my Daddy on the cheek and ask "Do you promise Gale isn't evil?" my Dad gets up ready to walk out the door "I promise that Gale is completely and utterly innocent and is very excited to get to know you" he smiles and walks down the stairs to the sofa where he will fall asleep next to my mother until morning. I snuggle under my blanket and fall asleep thinking my father must be exaggerating when he says he saved so many people's lives, I bet it was only a smaller number like 2, I guess it still means something but he can't save a whole District that is just crazy.

I wake up early in the morning and can't get back to sleep so I wander downstairs with my dolls and sit in front of the television that is still on from the night before, I notice the blankets have been moved and it is just my Dad asleep on the sofa. Where is my Mother? Is she with Gale? At that very moment I hear the door click and Mum appears in the doorway carrying a bag that seems to be full and in a strange leather jacket I have never seen before and boots that look centuries old but are a new sight to me. "Sorry sweetheart, Gale and I were just out using the early morning to do something we used to, go beyond the fence!" she says as she walks into the sitting room and pretends to make me jump. Beyond the fence is forbidden, it's a publicly unspoken rule but every set of parents warns their children not to go beyond the fence as there is all sorts of creatures in the deep dark wood. What does my mother do in there? Suddenly I hear the door click again and Gale's soft voice whispering from down the hall "I think that was quite successful, you obviously haven't been hunting in a while, your shooting is a bit rusty Catnip" Gale pauses as he sees me sitting on the floor opposite my mother, she looks at Gale with the look she gives Finnick and I when we're in trouble. Shooting? Hunting? What is with the word Catnip? "hello there Rue, I see you're up and awake, it's very early for you to be out of bed, isn't it?" Gale comes to sit next to me on the floor so the three of us create a sort of triangle. "I couldn't get back to sleep" I say quietly putting my dolls in front of my crossed legs, Gale picks up one of them and asks "what's this one called?" he tries to stand the blonde doll up when he asks the question but it just topples over "her names Rose, like the ones in garden" I smile, I've decided I like Gale more now.

My mother quietly says "I'm just going to the bathroom I'll be back soon" it'd be totally normal of her to say that if I hadn't noticed the sadness in her voice and the sympathizing look Gale gave her. What happened that my little brother and I don't know about?


End file.
